LSU has plenty of options in the running game.
Behind an experienced offensive line, the Tigers were the SEC's No. 2-ranked rushing offense this season. Quarterback Jordan Jefferson offers the ability to make plays with his legs and run the option.
But any team that plays like LSU needs talented backs to roll up 215.8 rushing yards per game.
"You have to have that matching tailback that can take a pitch and go speed or come downhill into a tight space and run with physical ability," coach Les Miles said.
In fact, LSU has four: Spencer Ware, Michael Ford, Alfred Blue and Kenny Hilliard.
Only one member of LSU's fearsome foursome does not have a 100-yard outing this season. Michael Ford has hit 96 yards twice - in the season-opener against Oregon and in the regular-season finale against Arkansas - but he has not cracked the 100-yard barrier.
All Ford has done is lead LSU in total rushing yards this season.
"We've got three, four, maybe five guys that can all run the ball and run it hard," LSU offensive lineman Will Blackwell said. "The best thing for us is we don't have to put the whole load on one guy."
At first glance, the pieces in LSU's running back rotation look interchangeable.
With the exception of the 240-pound Hilliard, the other three are all between 215 and 225 pounds. Blue stands 6-2, but the other three stand either 5-10 or 5-11.
A closer look, though, reveals that all four players serve a specific purpose.
Ware, Miles said, is LSU's tough, hard-nosed runner. Ford may be the fastest, a slasher who has the speed to get to the perimeter and set up LSU's game-winning field goal against Alabama in overtime.
Blue possesses some of the same abilities, but he also presents a little more power, and Hilliard, at 240 pounds, is as big as a lot of the defensive ends in the SEC.
Only one thing is common to all of LSU's running backs.
All four have the size to break tackles. Georgia's run defense, which held opponents to just 94.8 yards-per-game and ranked third in the SEC, is going to have to be physical to take away the Tigers' rushing attack.
"We're physical, just like they are," Bulldogs linebacker Jarvis Jones said. "When we get our hand on them, we've just got to bring it to the ground, no matter what."
Having four capable running backs makes LSU's ballcarriers harder to tackle.
As the game wears on, the defense gets tired, but LSU's running backs stay fresh.
"Our guys don't get tired," Blackwell said. "We've got fresh legs here at the end of the season."
And Georgia has to find a way to slow down all of them.:SIB
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